Penny in the Air
by Lady of the Shards
Summary: Maxie, May, and Archie. They don't know what it means. What the pain they feel is. Join them as they journey to find out. (Rated T just in case)
1. Chapter 1

**Pokémon Emerald Fan Fiction**

**Beta: **_**MorohtarSingod**_

**Penny in the Air**

**Chapter 1**

**Maxie**

He was frustrated by his need for her. For the girl who had ruined all of his plans. He wanted to despise her and hate her, but instead he respected her. He respected her strength in battle, her calm in the face of so many opponents. Her never faltering faith in her Pokémon. She was confident but not overly so, not like most of the rookies that appeared nowadays. She was also fair when it came to what she thought was right. After she had wiped out his entire organization she hadn't stopped. She just went and wiped out his rival's organization as well. All by herself. She hadn't even gotten all eight of the Gym Badges yet. Now, though, she had rightfully obtained them and made her way to fight the Elite Four. He hadn't been following her, had only been trying to find a safe place to hide away from all that was crashing down around his ears along with his organization. He hadn't even known she was still going to go for it till he saw her exiting the Sootopolis Gym. She had already proven herself to the region as a strong battler. He now watched as she exited the building of League Headquarters in Ever Grande. He had been curious about what her expression would be when she became Champion of Hoenn. He expects to see the look of awed triumph that she always got when she won a battle. She always seemed surprised when she won. Not that she ever seemed to expect to lose, but she never seemed to expect win either. But the look on her face is not the one he is used to seeing. It was a look he had only seen when she found out was his goals were. She looks disappointed. Not in her Pokémon, never will she be disappointed with them, but she seemed disappointed with herself. She looks down, takes a deep breath and then looks up at the sky. Her face has changed to a look of pure determination, a look that he is very familiar with, from all the encounters he had had with her before. He is shocked. She had lost but she was not giving up. She wasn't like him. He had given up so easily after she had defeated him. Given up his goals and allowed his group to fall to pieces. But she was just going to keep going forward. Going towards her goal. Suddenly warmth bloomed in his chest and he realized something. Something that he had refused to admit since the first time he saw her. He, Maxie, the former leader of Team Magma, was in love. He was in love with his former opponent, May. Was that why, when he and Archie had returned the orbs, he had felt compelled to go back to look her in the eye and gently call her name? Was that why, when he paused in his thoughts of what he was going to do next, his thoughts immediately turned to that girl- no, she was a young woman, not a child- to wondering what she was doing now? How she was doing? Was that why he had tried to bury that felling each time she arrived to stop him? Was that why? What was he going to do? What could he do? How did she feel about him?

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: In case you did not realize it, this chapter is from Maxie's point of view. The first three chapters are more of a three part prologue.**

**This is based off of the Emerald Version Game. If you have any questions, leave them in a review or send me a PM.**

**Thanks again to my new Beta, the awesome**___**MorohtarSingod!**_

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**I do not own these characters!**

**Archie**

He was confused by the way he reacted to her. This kid who always got in the way of his goals. After all she had done to him, he should hate her but each time he saw her he only felt a gentle warm feeling he didn't understand. When she wiped out his rival he hoped she might join him, hoped with all his heart, but then she wiped out his organization as well. The feelings he had at the moment were so conflicting. The warm feeling in his chest seemed to have a hint of pride for her as she finished him off, but the part of him still so invested into his Team was hurt. Hurt that they could lose, seemingly so easily, to what he saw at the time as a child. And hurt for some other reason, too. He felt like he had been betrayed. But none of his people had betrayed him and the girl had never been on his side, had never made any deals with him. She didn't have the overconfidence of other young trainers, but she was sure and determined, never once doubting her Pokémon, never once doubting what she saw as right. After she had defeated him he wasn't surprised when she continued her original journey, when she got the rest of the eight Badges she needed to challenge the Elite Four. He and his rival had just been another delay in her journey, and that thought caused him even more pain. Pain which returned with a vengeance each time he was forced to go into a town for much needed supplies and she was there visiting someone, getting another badge, or getting supplies as well. When he was forced to go to Mossdeep when he ran out of water, he saw her leaving the Gym with that rather adorable look of shock, he could tell she had won. When he ran out of food and had to stop at Sootopolis he saw her once enter the Gym there. By the time he had gotten what he needed to be on his way, she was just coming out. Her Blaziken walked at her side, whether because it had just won the final Gym battle or because she had forgotten to return it to its- no _him_ to _his_- poke ball he couldn't tell. She couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from her Badge case. She seemed utterly flabbergasted. Her Blaziken kept looking over her shoulder and cooing happily, also seeming rather surprised. He couldn't help but smile at their reactions to their win. He remembered all the times she won a battle against his organization. She and her Pokémon would get practically identical looks on their faces, seeming to say _Wait, it's over already? Wait, we WON?_ At this point, after watching her battle so often he would have been more surprised if the badges had been difficult for her to get. He had watched her enter Ever Grande, unable to stop himself from seeing that look at least one more time and now he saw her exit. He expected her to be excited about her win. Instead she seemed sad as she cradled her six poke balls close. He realized that she had lost. How many of the Elite Four did it take to take her down? She looked down and he could no longer see her face. Suddenly the determined look she always wore returned to her gentle face as she looked at the sky, the sky that matched her eyes. He smiled; unsurprised by her refusal to give up, just like she had never stopped against him. The warm feeling she always gave him grew even more and he finally understood. Archie, former leader of Team Aqua, had fallen in love. The object of his love was his former opponent, May. That was why, when he and Maxie had returned the orbs, he had felt irritated when Maxie had gone back and gently called the girl's name. So irritated that he wanted to punch Maxie in the face when he drew level with him again?

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: This is Archie's point of view!**

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**May**

She knew it was wrong, these feelings she had. She should hatred or maybe even disgust or fear towards those men who had tried to destroy the world. Instead she felt these calm gentle feelings. When she first met each of them, she just thought they were odd. At least she did till she discovered their goals. She knew she had to stop them, stop them from destroying everything. She knew, but each time she met them, the feelings grew. The warm feelings that she had no name for. Even now that she had wiped out both of their organizations the feelings still remained. She had finally gotten all eight Gym Badges and gone to challenge the Elite Four. She wasn't sure what would happen. She realized in the back of her mind that it wasn't normal to have gotten as far as she had without once losing a battle, and still with each new win she was more amazed than before. So when she finally lost her first battle against Elite Four Pheobe, she was disappointed but also rather relieved. She wasn't some miracle trainer that was incapable of losing. She wasn't perfect. She wasn't a machine, unable to make a mistake. She was human. Under the relief of this realization though was bitter disappointment. Not in her precious Pokémon companions, but in herself. She felt that in losing the battle she had failed them. But it hurt, the disappointment that flared in her chest. There had only been one other time that her chest had hurt so much when it hadn't been physically injured. When she had gone to Mt. Pyre to tell the elderly couple there the events that had transpired since the orbs had been stolen, she had been surprised to find _them_ there, returning the orbs to where they belonged. Hope had flared in her chest, though she knew not what she was hoping for. As the two men walked past her she wanted to call out, to stop them. Why? For what reason? When Maxie turned and walked back towards her, the hope felt like so many daggers digging into her chest. When he gently called her name, it was like he was saying goodbye. It hurt so much it felt like her heart stopped. When he walked away without another word, she looked towards Archie, who was looking at her but not looking at her eyes and then together they walked out of her life. As she watched their retreating backs a single tear had made its way down her cheek. Now the pain of disappointment in her chest seemed like a dull ache compared to that sharp pain, but just remembering brought some of that sharpness back to her chest. She didn't understand! What was it that was causing her so much pain? No. She had to put that out of her mind. She had to focus on training her Pokémon so that next time, she leaves the building in triumph. She had to put those two men out of her mind, so why did it seem like she kept seeing them everywhere? She had thought she had seen Archie at Mossdeep, but the sight of his blue bandana could have been a trick of the light playing on the ocean waves. She was sure that Maxie had been at Sootopolis, he had such remarkable red hair. She had always wondered how that hair felt. Was it soft and smooth, or rough and stiff from being in that style for so long? Why was it that when she let her thoughts wander, they always drifted towards the two who she had brought low? She shook herself slightly to try and focus. When she lifted her head to the sky, she was sure. As a Trainer she would be useless until she found out what this emotion was. So while she was going to train her Pokémon to get stronger, she wasn't going to be focusing her full attention on it. Not yet. No, she was going to figure out what it was that was causing her so much pain. But… where should she start?

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: This is the final part of the prologue, this one being in May's point of view. I had these three chapters written for a while, and decided to post them after I ran them past my new Beta, **_**MorohtarSingod**_**.**** Big thanks to him! It will probably be awhile before another chapter is out, because I want to work on my other stories! Please bear with me; I am not fully in control.**

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Penny in the Air**

**Chapter 4**

**I finally got inspiration! Thank you to my reader Mew Suger and my beta reader Morohtar Singod. They fed my plot bunnies.**

**Also, I decided that instead of having Steven leaving a Beldum behind in his house after May becomes Champion that he would have given it to her a while before so that she now has a Metagross.**

**Key:**

_Thoughts_

_Memories (dialogue straight from the game.)_

**xXxXx- **line break

**XxXxX- **point of view change

**Onwards we go.**

**xXxXx**

"Hey Brawly, hey Medicham. It's been awhile, hasn't it?"

The blue-haired man looked up from where he and his Pokémon were sitting. "May." Brawly stood up. "I thought you would be at Ever Grande City by now."

The young woman smiled as she dismounted her Altaria. "I was. Return, Jlutem." The Altaria disappeared into her poke ball. "I challenged and I lost."

Brawly gave the young woman that he had begun to think of as a younger sister a comforting hug. "I'm sorry."

May smiled and hugged back. "I'm fine and its okay. I think I needed this loss."

"You did kinda just whip through the all the Gyms and those two Teams." Brawly turned to return his Medicham to its poke ball and missed the confused pained look that flashed across the girl's face. "So which of the Elite Four gave you your first loss? Or was it the champion?"

"No, I didn't make it that far." She laughed. "I lost to Sidney. I gave him a run for his money, but couldn't win."

Brawly looked May over. "So what are you doing here? Not that it isn't nice to see you, but you aren't someone who will leave a challenge unfinished."

May glared at Brawly. "I'm not giving up. I need to train some before I try again though. I was thinking of training in Granite Cave. That is, if it is okay with you?"

"It's fine, but why here? Why not train on Victory Road?"

She looked out over the water for a while. "Victory Road is rather noisy actually. Lots of other Trainers looking for battles. I want to train in some quieter areas for a while. Get all my thoughts sorted out." _And all my feelings worked out as well._

"Have you gone and seen your dad? Maybe talked to him?"

"Why?"

"Well, most Trainers have had their first loss long before they reach the Elite Four. Heck, most Trainers don't even reach the Elite Four." Brawly gestured emphatically. _And none that I've heard of that have were this calm about it._

"I'm fine! I'm actually glad that I lost. It gives me some time. I really need to get my head on straight." May turned and faced the direction of the cave. "I'm going to head to the cave now, so I guess I'll see you later Brawly!"

"Wait, you sure you don't need to stop by the store before you go?"

She glanced back over her shoulder. "I'm good. Besides, Ever Grande's store has a much better selection than the one in Dewford!"

Laughing, May dashed off leaving Brawly spluttering.

**xXxXx**

Once she entered Granite Cave, May let her smile fade away with a sigh.

"Hruno, come on out." May released her Blaziken.

Hruno looked around and chirped in recognition as he gently wrapped his Trainer in a warm hug.

"So you recognize this place huh? It's been a while since we first came here to deliver that letter to Steven." May leaned into her Fire/Fighting Type starter. "Let's go find a good place to train."

**xXxXx**

"Julp, Tluais, Jlutem, Yuso, Yulem. Come on out you guys." A Mightyena, Shiftry, Altaria, Froslass, and a Metagross appear besides Hruno.

The Mightyena Julp dashed to May's side. "Hey girl. How you feeling?" She looks at the other Pokémon as they gathered around her. "How are ALL of you feeling? I'm sorry that I wasn't…that I wasn't able to lead you guys straight to victory. Let's get stronger. Strong enough that we never lose again."

**XxXxX**

"I didn't expect her to be HERE." Archie, the ex-Leader of Team Aqua, said as he kept out of sight around a corner of the cave's passage way. "I came here because very few Trainers come to this cave to train."

"I thought she would be training at Victory Road." The red-headed ex-Leader of Team Magma spoke, standing at a distance with his arms crossed.

"What the hell are you doing here anyway?" Archie glared at his long-time rival.

Maxie glanced away, in the direction where the girl that had brought both men to their knees was training. "I…wanted to…never mind."

"You're acting odd, Max." Archie leaned back against the cave wall, scratching at his beard. "What do you want?"

Maxie hesitated for a moment longer before speaking. "What do you think of May?"

"She's a pain in the ass. Over confident with a ridiculous sense of justice. I wouldn't care at all if she got hurt." Archie looks over at May. "Wait, is that girl actually sparring with her Blaziken?!"

"What?!"

**XxXxX**

"All right guys. That's enough for the day. We're all getting tired and I don't want to push you too hard. We'll take our time with this training, so let's head back to Dewford." May stood up, carefully stretching her muscles after her little sparring session with Hruno.

She returned her Pokémon to their poke balls and began to head towards the cave entrance, but a flash of lavender caught her eye.

"What was…?" A small Pokémon comes barreling towards her and crashed into her legs. "A Whismur? This isn't where you normally live. What are you doing here?"

A roar sounds from the direction in which the small Pokémon had come. May gathers the Whismur up in her arms as loud footsteps approach from the direction.

Two giant, furious Hariyama approached. Terrified, the small Whismur let out shriek as loud as a jet plane.

The sound echoes violently around the cave, causing the Hariyama to flinch.

May staggered for a moment before the sound overwhelmed her and she fainted.

**XxXxX**

Maxie had noticed the Whismur about to screech and quickly gotten Archie to plug his ears until the final echo faded.

When they were able to unplug their ears, they looked and saw the two Hariyama approaching an unconscious May and a trembling Whismur.

"Dammit." Archie grabbed one of his poke balls and dashed over to the still body. "Vamp! Use Aerial Ace! Take down those Hariyama."

A Crobat flew out and swooped around the Hariyama for a moment, distracting it from its original victim. Flying up towards the cave's ceiling, it dropped, slashing the fighting type with its sharp wings.

Maxie arched one of his brows as he removed the poke ball that contained his own Crobat. "Night, use Air Cutter on the other one."

Night flew at high speeds around the second Hariyama, swiftly turning the air following behind into razors that sliced into fighting type.

The two Crobats flew swiftly around the Hariyama, eventually knocking them out. Quietly both of the flying- types returned to their Trainers, settling on their shoulders.

Archie walked over to May's still form and scooped her up into his arms.

"Oh yes." Maxie followed the other man as Archie carried the girl to where he had set up camp. "You couldn't care at all."

"Shut up Max." Archie settled May onto the sleeping bag. "Dammit, I can't tell if she's seriously hurt or not. I don't suppose that you could check her over while I try and get a fire started?"

Maxie released a Torkoal. "I'll check on her and Torch can either start a fire or heat things for you."

Maxie carefully examined May for external injuries while Archie warmed berries and water on the Torkoal's back.

"Why did you ask me that earlier?" Archie asked, carefully keeping his face turned away from the other.

"…Because I wanted to know." Maxie's voice was quiet, barely carrying across the space between them. "I wanted to find out if…"

"If I was going to be your rival in a different way this time?" Archie settled back and looked at the red head over his shoulder. "Max you do realize that the chances of her feeling anything but hate for us are extremely slim right?"

"Yeah." Maxie sighed. "How long have you been in—"

"Let's not actually say the word, all right? I'm still trying to wrap my head around it." Archie tossed some of cooked berries at Maxie. "I think that I always kinda did though. Ever since I first laid eyes on her."

"_I came to see what was taking so long to snatch some parts, and you simps are held up by a mere child?" Archie takes a few steps closer to May. "We are Team Aqua, and we love the sea! And I am Team Aqua's leader, Archie! What makes you interfere with us? ...No! You can't be! You're not one of Team Magma? Wait, that can't be right. You're not dressed for the part." Archie is silent for a bit. "Pokémon, people…All life depends on the sea. So, Team Aqua is dedicated to the expansion of the sea. Don't you agree? What we are doing is a magnificent undertaking. Ah, fine… You're still too young to understand our noble objective. But, I warn you, don't even consider interfering with our plans again. The consequences will cost you dearly! And don't you forget it!"_

Archie chuckled quietly as he remembered how he had acted when he first met the girl. "What about you? When do you think you…"

"The same I guess. She's just so captivating." Maxie caught the berries and popped one into his mouth. "The way she battles, as if each order she gives isn't an order but a suggestion."

"As if she's not having the Pokémon battle for her, but rather with her?"

"Yeah."

"_The power contained in the Meteorite… By amplifying its power with this machine, Mt. Chimney's volcanic activity will instantly intensify… Its energy will grow deep inside the crater and… Fufufu…" Maxie notices May and turns around. "Hm? Who are you?" Maxie is silent for a bit. "I'd heard Archie bemoaning a child who's been meddling in Team Aqua's affairs. It must be you he meant. Humph! So you're thinking of interfering with us, Team Magma? Now you listen. Long ago, living things used this land to live and grow. That is why land is all important! It is the cradle of all! That is why Team Magma is dedicated to the expansion of the land mass. It is for further advancement of humankind and Pokémon! And for that, we need the power of what sleeps within this mountain…Oh! There was no need for you to learn that much. But, no matter! I'll teach you the consequences of meddling in our grand design!"_

"You know if either of us have even a sliver of a chance with her, I don't think it would be you." Archie fished around in his bag for a moment.

Maxie glared at his back. "And why is that?"

"Because I didn't attack her the very first time I met her." Archie pulled out a poke ball. "I wonder why she didn't bring one of her Pokémon out to help her though. They could have easily taken care of those Hariyama. How is she doing, by the way?"

"She seems to be okay. She'll probably have a bad headache when she wakes up though." Maxie gently brushed some of May's hair off of her face, deciding to ignore Archie's last jibe. "As for why she didn't release one of her Pokémon, I have a couple of theories. She might have thought they were too tired and didn't want to strain them anymore. I think it is more that it all happened so quickly that she didn't have time to call one of them out."

"Mighty, come on out." Archie's Mightyena appeared from the poke ball he had retrieved. "Can you keep watch? I want to get some rest."

The Mightyena yipped and went to the perimeter of the camp. Halfway there, a second Mightyena joined him. Seeing this Archie looked over his shoulder at Maxie.

"What? I am not going to leave my safety solely to your Pokémon. Hunter can probably do a better job anyway."

A sound causes the both of them to tense. When they turn to its source, they see May's bag moving.

"Perhaps we should let one of her Pokémon out as well; it may make them feel less like we are going to hurt her." Maxie gently opened the bag and withdrew one of the red poke balls that were stored there.

The Pokémon released was another Mightyena, a female who growled at them and curled protectively around her Trainer.

"Chill girl. We're just keeping an eye on her while she's out. Here, have these berries." Archie tossed some Sitrus and Leppa berries in front the Pokémon. "You're Julp, right? Why don't you stay near May while our Pokémon keep their eyes on the perimeter?"

Julp carefully examined the berries before quickly gobbling them up and settling closer to her precious Trainer.

Archie and Maxie looked at the sweet scene for a few minutes before turning and settling themselves for some rest.

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: Whoa. There is a lot of dialogue in this chapter. I have no idea if this will be how every chapter is, because the plan for this story is very vague. I started this story with no plan at all. That plan is slowly forming, I hope you all stick with me for this journey.**

**I am going to try working on my stories in a cycle. The next Pokémon story that I will work on is 'Taking Over the Shadows'. If you haven't had a look at the prologue which I have up, you might enjoy it.**

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Penny in the Air**

**Chapter 5**

**Author's Note: This is a present for my friend and reader, Mew Suger. Her birthday present from me. I am working on the other stories; no story of mine will ever be abandoned. EVER. So happy birthday Mew Suger!**

**Also, I've noticed something. Sometimes, about 50% of the time actually, the underlining I put in the story does not show up in the uploaded version. And when I went back to reread all of the chapters for this story, I realized that I forgot to clear one thing up. May is around 18 or 19. Maxie and Archie are around 25. I do not support pedophilia so I have adjusted the ages to fit that mindset.**

**Key:**

_Thoughts_

_Memories (dialogue straight from the game.)_

**xXxXx- **line break

**XxXxX- **point of view change

**Onwards we go.**

**xXxXx**

Maxie woke up to Hunter licking his face. He looks over and sees Archie being woken up by his own Mightyena.

Archie grumbled and sat up, patting Mighty on the head while sleepily looking around. As Maxie sat up, they both glanced at the place where they had laid May the night before.

The bedroll had been carefully and neatly rolled. There was no sign of the young woman they had taken care of the night before.

"That's odd." Maxie whispered, his voice rough from sleep.

Archie looked at him, sleep still partly clouding his eyes. "What do you mean?"

"May has never seemed like the type of girl to leave without saying goodbye."

"Maxie." Archie drags the other's attention to him. "We were always the ones who left first. I don't know about you but I never gave her the chance to say goodbye."

Maxie sighs and stands up to put his bedroll away. "I didn't either, but she was always such a quiet and polite girl that her leaving without a goodbye seems strange."

The two of them began to pack up all of the supplies they had left out and prepared to leave.

"Oh, the two of you are already awake?" A soft female voice spoke from behind them.

Startled, Archie drops the bag of berries he had been retrieving. The berries fell out of the bag, but before they hit the floor of the cave they began to float.

"Yulem, could you put the berries back in the bag?" The voice contained a large amount of quiet amusement.

Maxie and Archie turned and saw May sitting atop of her Metagross. It took them a moment before they realized that she was secured on the Pokémon by strong vines.

Noticing them staring at the vines, May spoke again in her quiet voice. "I can't stand very well, and my Pokémon don't want me to go too far from them. Their solution was to have Tluais secure me onto Yulem with his vines." She gestured to her Froslass who was holding a bucket formed from ice. "I went to go get some water so that I could make breakfast to thank you for helping me. The Whismur and Julp told me what you did." The Whismur peeked out from behind May and made a small sound in way of greeting.

"You talk like you can understand them" Archie commented, not really paying attention to what he was saying. _She…didn't leave?_

May smiled softly. "One of the perks of having a Psychic type on your team. It will allow you to speak and understand your Pokémon. It helps me to feel closer to them, like I can help them grow stronger that way."

With her Pokémon's help, May swiftly put together a simple breakfast for them all. They ate in relative silence for awhile before Maxie broke it.

"Why didn't you call out one of your Pokémon to fight the Hariyama? They wouldn't have stood a chance against your Altaria or your Metagross."

A thoughtful look appeared on Archie's face. "That's true. What were you planning to do? Spar with them yourself?"

They both glanced over at the girl in time to see a faint blush form on her cheeks.

Archie stood up, astonishment painting his features. "You were?! Are you absolutely insane?! They were at least twice your size! And there were two of them! Why would you put yourself in harm's way like that?!"

"Oh yes. You couldn't care at all." Maxie said in a quiet, sarcastic voice.

"Shut up Maxie!" Archie shouted at his counterpart, causing Maxie to chuckle.

"Um, what?" May's face was the picture of confusion.

"Nothing." They both replied at the same time.

Maxie tried to banish the amused smile he had. "May, were you not wanting to strain your Pokémon anymore? Because it does not seem like they were happy with your decision."

May sighed. "I'd worked them so hard already…" A thought seemed to occur to the young woman. "What were the two of you doing here together? I…wasn't sure that you got along."

"We don't." The two jinxed each other again.

Archie scowled at Maxie. "I had been hiding out here, that guy showed up for a chat, and we saw you training."

May's eyes brimmed with curiosity. "May I ask what you were chatting about?"

Both of the older men turned away, unsure what to say. They missed the flash of sadness that appeared in May's eyes, quickly chasing out the curiosity.

The girl stood suddenly, and would have fallen if Archie had not been close enough to catch her.

Blushing brightly, May stuttered. "I…I should…" Conflicting emotions rolled through her sky blue eyes. She looked at the two men, slight desperation on her face. "What are your plans now?" _Now that you have managed to cause me so much pain and confusion._

Maxie frowns, slightly worried about how the girl was acting. "I'm not sure. I've spent so much of my time trying to expand the land that I've never really thought of anything else."

"Pretty much the same here, only with the ocean." Archie's voice was a low rumble as May was mostly unable to stand on her own so he was still supporting her. He looked over May's head and noticed the way that the other man was glaring at him. Archie couldn't help but smirk a bit and carefully shift the girl a bit closer. "What about you May?"

May's blush brightened as she realized the close proximity, though she knew if she tried to move, she would fall again and really felt no need to try. "I am still going to try for the Championship, but I need to do more training and also…"

Maxie leaned down a bit so that he was eyelevel with her and was happy to see her blush brighten even further. "And also what?"

"I- I have to figure something out. It's been confusing me for a while…I should go!" Vines swiftly came and wrapped around May, lifting her and placing her gently upon her Metagross. Before they left, she turned once more to face the two men. "It was good to see the two of you again. Especially since I did not have to fight you for once. Goodbye."

Maxie and Archie watched as her, her Pokémon, and the wild Whismur disappeared from view.

Archie fell back against the wall of the cave and groaned. "Why is that girl so…? We are doomed. No matter what we do, she beats us. She is way too nice for her own good." He looked over at his long time rival. "What happened to get your thinking look on?"

"She blushed."

"What?"

"When you caught her as she fell, she blushed. When I leaned down to look into her eyes, she blushed even brighter. What do you think that means, Archie?" Maxie focused his eyes onto Archie's face.

Archie was dumbfounded. "She blushed? And I didn't get to see it?"

Maxie sighed and decided to wait awhile to see if they could have a serious conversation.

**XxXxX**

"May! What happened?!" Brawly came rushing over when he saw Yulem and Tluais depositing May on the ground in front of the Poke Center.

"I'm fine. Just a little wobbly after being hit by a Whismur screech. It'll pass." May stood much more steadily and confidently than she had in the cave. She returned her Pokémon to their Poke Balls and took a few steps before she nearly collapsed again.

Brawly quickly caught her and scooped her into her arms. He carried her into the Poke Center and stood over her while the nurse checked her out.

The nurse informed them that May would be back on her feet in a day or two, until then, she needed to rest.

Brawly looked at May. "Come on. I've got a spare room you can borrow for a couple of days."

"No! It's okay!" May raised her hands in protest, but stopped when she saw Brawly's expression. She sighed and allowed him to help her up and support her to his house.

When they arrived, Brawly helped her settle in his guest room then placed his hands on her shoulder forcing her to look at him. "Now. What is it that has you all worked up?"

May's eyes darted off to the side. "I don't know what you mean."

Brawly sighed and sat down beside her. "May, I have never seen you so confused. Don't forget that I was the second Gym Leader that you fought. You were completely sure of yourself even that early in your journey. Want to tell me what has finally managed to fluster you?"

May is silent for a while. "I…I'm not sure what it is. There's…this feeling. I don't know what it is. I've never felt it before."

Brawly turned. "Why don't you try to describe it to me?"

**xXxXx**

**Author's Note: Well now. I am going to open a poll. Do you want May to figure out that she is in love in the next chapter or later on? Also, I am seriously not sure where this series is going. No clue where it's going, or how long it is going to take to get there. Feel free to throw ideas at me.**

**I am so sorry that I have not updated my stories lately. Sooooo much writer's block. I am working on getting rid of it.**

**As always, thanks to my beta, Morohtar Singod. I blame him for all the plot bunnies that he has given me.**

**I am not a writer! I am a puppet controlled by fictional characters!**


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